Just in case NFC wasn’t niche enough for you, it looks like we’ll soon have a new communication platform called Pulse that uses your magnetometer to send or receive tiny bits of data.

You probably don’t know it, but if you have an Android phone there’s a good chance a magnetometer is tucked inside. This is how most phones gain their compass data, which is used primarily for navigation purposes. The magnetometer in your phone could also be used to do things like act as a stud sensor if you have an app installed, but there really aren’t many more uses for it in your average smartphone. If the folks at the University of Oulu have their way, that barely-used piece of tech could be positioned as a more secure communications platform for small bursts of data.

In its current form, Pulse can only send about 40 bits per second, and only when the transmitter and receiver are within two centimeters of one another. Compared to NFC, which can work within 20 centimeters or more if you have specialized hardware, it’s not hard to see why this communications protocol could be considered superior when trying to send secure credentials wirelessly. For things like wireless payment protocols, which are already designed to transmit short bursts of data when you have your phone pressed against a terminal, Pulse seems like it might be a suitable alternative.

There are plenty of other questions outside of this tech demo that need to be addressed, but at first glance this is an impressive accomplishment. We’re expected to learn more about how this protocol can be used later this summer, but for now it looks like Pulse could be an interesting part of how we use our phones in the future.